Why Seahawks fans hate the 49ers

September 11, 2013 7:51 PM

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Why Seahawks fans hate the 49ers
Everyone's talking about this weekend's big game between the Seahawks and 49ers in Seattle. It's become the biggest and most passionate rivalry in the NFL, fueled on the field by fierce animosity and fleeting respect. But the spectacle of pro football doesn't stop once the game clock hits zero -- no, the tension has been rising for months, and off the field, fans and players have been talking smack since before the Hawks blew out the Niners 42-13 last they met in December. It all comes to a head Sunday evening when the teams face off at CenturyLink Field.
Here are the top 10 reasons why Seahawks fans hate the 49ers. Have your own reasons (and surely you do)? Share them in the comments below. less

Why Seahawks fans hate the 49ers Everyone's talking about this weekend's big game between the Seahawks and 49ers in Seattle. It's become the biggest and most passionate rivalry in the NFL, fueled on the field ... more

They are division foes
OK, first and foremost, let's get this out of the way. Despite all the peripheral hatred and drama, the only thing that truly matters Sunday is the outcome of the football game. Seattle and San Francisco are not just division foes in the NFC West, they are both ranked among the top three teams in the NFL -- in many ratings, first or second. Yes, whoever wins Sunday will have a leg up in the divisional race, but already in Week 2 the game has playoff implications. Last season, Seattle finished just a half-game back from the Niners, and it cost the Seahawks home-field advantage in the postseason. Any win in the NFL is a big win, but Sunday's contest is even bigger. less

They are division foes OK, first and foremost, let's get this out of the way. Despite all the peripheral hatred and drama, the only thing that truly matters Sunday is the outcome of the football game. Seattle ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

They are division foes
OK, first and foremost, let's get... Photo-5173938.70008 - seattlepi.com

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Jim Harbaugh v. Pete Carroll
The Seahawks-Niners rivalry is actually fairly young, but that doesn't make it any less intense. You can trace its origin to the head coaches, who faced each other not long ago as college rivals, Seattle's Pete Carroll at the helm of USC and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh in charge at Stanford. In fact, you can trace the origin back to one game in 2009, when Harbaugh came into Los Angeles and ran up the score on Carroll's Trojans. ''Look at them all runnin' out,'' Harbaugh was caught on TV saying as he walked to meet Carroll at midfield, referring to the exiting Trojans. An unpleased Carroll asked, ''What's your deal?'' Their public feud started then, and they brought with them it to the NFL. Though both would deny any dislike for the other, we know there's some bad blood between these two. less

Jim Harbaugh v. Pete Carroll The Seahawks-Niners rivalry is actually fairly young, but that doesn't make it any less intense. You can trace its origin to the head coaches, who faced each other not long ago as ... more

Jim Harbaugh v. Richard Sherman
Not only are Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh competitive enemies, they have distinctly different coaching styles. Harbaugh has more of a reputation as a hard-ass, Carroll as a players' coach. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman knows both styles intimately, having also played for Harbaugh at Stanford. Sherman holds him in little esteem, and reportedly even switched from wide receiver to cornerback in college to distance himself from Harbaugh's coaching. ''I don't have a relationship with him,'' Sherman said of Harbaugh in July, after Harbaugh took a shot at Seattle's (including Sherman's) recent difficulties with performance-enhancing drugs. Like Sherman, Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin -- who also went to Stanford -- reveled in last season's 42-13 beatdown of the 49ers, saying then that the victory was ''extra special.'' less

Jim Harbaugh v. Richard Sherman Not only are Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh competitive enemies, they have distinctly different coaching styles. Harbaugh has more of a reputation as a hard-ass, Carroll as a ... more

Jim Harbaugh ... just in general
Seahawks fans find him whiny, brash, dismissive, overreactive, mean. He often seems to talk before he thinks, and has a knack for making noise in the national sports media. In July, long after his team's loss in the Super Bowl, Harbaugh threw a jab at Seattle and its recent PED problems by suggesting that the Seahawks cheat. ''We play by the rules,” he said. ''You want to be above reproach, especially when you’re good, because you don’t want people to come back and say, ‘They’re winning because they’re cheating.’'' We already mentioned Richard Sherman's reaction. His fellow starting cornerback, Brandon Browner, responded by saying he'd like to put his hands around Harbaugh's neck. Wide receiver Golden Tate said he'd give Harbaugh the ''Sean Lee treatment,'' referring to Tate's vicious hit on the Dallas linebacker in 2012. And guess what happened afterward? Harbaugh signed alleged PED user Eric Wright. Seahawks fans immediately cried: ''Hypocrite!'' less

Jim Harbaugh ... just in general Seahawks fans find him whiny, brash, dismissive, overreactive, mean. He often seems to talk before he thinks, and has a knack for making noise in the national sports media. In ... more

Colin Kaepernick
At least he got rid of that horrible goatee (he now has a full beard). But man, it's hard for Seahawks fans to stomach 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Is it because it's actually really good, taking over midseason last year and leading the Niners to the Super Bowl? Is it because of his egotistical ''Kaepernicking'' touchdown move (pictured above), in which he mimes kissing his biceps? Is it because of his tactlessness (see: Miami Dolphins cap) or his (seemingly manufactured) street-tough image? Is it because he's a complete 180 from Seattle's own young signal-caller, Russell Wilson, when it comes to poise and respect? The answer is: yes. less

Colin Kaepernick At least he got rid of that horrible goatee (he now has a full beard). But man, it's hard for Seahawks fans to stomach 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Is it because it's actually really ... more

Yes, Colin Kaepernick again
Just look at him at the ESPY Awards in July! He got a lot of flack from Seahawks fans for that outfit. Did you see what Russell Wilson wore to the ESPYS? Yeah, normal clothes. And oh, by the way, here's a good one to rile up the 12th Man even more: In his conference call with Seattle media Wednesday, Kaepernick downplayed the effect of crowd noise at CenturyLink Field. This from a guy who had to take two timeouts in the first quarter of December's game because he couldn't hear over the 12th Man. Good luck Sunday, Kaep, when Seahawks fans shoot for the Guinness World Record for crowd roar. less

Yes, Colin Kaepernick again Just look at him at the ESPY Awards in July! He got a lot of flack from Seahawks fans for that outfit. Did you see what Russell Wilson wore to the ESPYS? Yeah, normal clothes. And ... more

Photo: Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Yes, Colin Kaepernick again
Just look at him at the ESPY Awards... Photo-5173944.70008 - seattlepi.com

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49ers fans accuse Seattle of crowd 'enhancement'
No one from the 49ers organization has actually said it, of course, but fans in the Bay Area have been grumbling for some time about the loudness of CenturyLink Field. Some of them accuse the Seahawks of pumping extra crowd noise through the stadium's speakers. What better way to insult the 12th Man? Sure, the rumor has been around for a long time -- it comes up every once and a while on ESPN and elsewhere -- but 49ers fans have been jumping on that bandwagon again. On what grounds do they make such an egregious accusation?! less

49ers fans accuse Seattle of crowd 'enhancement' No one from the 49ers organization has actually said it, of course, but fans in the Bay Area have been grumbling for some time about the loudness of CenturyLink ... more

Arrogant, pompous Niners fans
OK, we get it, your team has won five Super Bowls. Enough with it already. San Francisco fans are insufferable. Look at that guy (at left) wearing that Super Bowl ring hat! And what the heck is that dude (at right) wearing on his head? We know the foam hat is supposed to be a gold nugget, but it looks a lot like something that just came out of the rear end of a Great Dane. These are the same sports fans who latched on to former S.F. Giants pitcher Brian Wilson's disgusting beard. And did you see that San Francisco was recently named the snobbiest city in America? 'Nuf said. less

Arrogant, pompous Niners fans OK, we get it, your team has won five Super Bowls. Enough with it already. San Francisco fans are insufferable. Look at that guy (at left) wearing that Super Bowl ring hat! And ... more

They went to the Super Bowl
We admit, the 49ers are really good. They made it to the Super Bowl last season, and thankfully -- to Seahawks fans -- lost to the Ravens. But the real problem is that the Niners made it to the Super Bowl after the drubbing they suffered at the hands of the Seahawks in December. By the end of the season, the Hawks were far and away the better team -- did San Francisco really deserve to be in the Big Game? Not fair, right? Yeah, life's not fair and especially sports aren't fair, and maybe this comes off as whining. But can Seahawks fans hate the 49ers for it? Yes. Yes they can. less

They went to the Super Bowl We admit, the 49ers are really good. They made it to the Super Bowl last season, and thankfully -- to Seahawks fans -- lost to the Ravens. But the real problem is that the Niners ... more

Photo: Rob Tringali, Getty Images

They went to the Super Bowl
We admit, the 49ers are really good.... Photo-5173947.70008 - seattlepi.com

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They don't even really accept it's a rivalry!
Ask a 49ers fan who their biggest rival is, and you might hear the Cowboys or the Rams. Perhaps the most infuriating thing about Niners fans is that many of them don't even accept the Seattle rivalry. They look down on the Seahawks as nobodies, as wannabes, merely as up-and-comers ... not five-time Super Bowl champions with a rich history of legends like Joe Montana, Steve You— oh, shut up! We'll confess, Seattle sports fans often crave outside validation. But until 49ers fans recognize the heated rivalry that has without a doubt set the NFL on fire, Seahawks fans have another reason to hate their Bay Area foes. less

They don't even really accept it's a rivalry! Ask a 49ers fan who their biggest rival is, and you might hear the Cowboys or the Rams. Perhaps the most infuriating thing about Niners fans is that many of them ... more

Are you ready?
Sunday's big game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. PDT at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, and will be televised nationally on NBC's ''Sunday Night Football.'' Tickets to the game are sold out -- and were sold out quickly. In addition to the usual rowdiness of the 12th Man, Seahawks fans will be attempting to set a new Guinness World Record for crowd noise level. It's the most anticipated game (so far) of the most anticipated season in Seahawks franchise history. Stay tuned to seattlepi.com this week for more previews and Seahawks-Niners drama, and of course for our coverage Sunday evening from the CLink. less

Are you ready? Sunday's big game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. PDT at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, and will be televised nationally on NBC's ''Sunday Night Football.'' Tickets to the game are sold out -- and were ... more

Photo: Steve Dykes, Getty Images

Are you ready?
Sunday's big game kicks off at 5:30 p.m.... Photo-5173950.70008 - seattlepi.com